camera out of commission

so now that i have a brand spankin new camera i finally took some pictures of my finished objects over the last couple months. since i finally nailed out the pattern for the swimsuit you can see that project i finished and here are a few more things.

numero-uno my grey-gina i think it turned out very well, wish i had made the next size up as my bust circumference was really challenging my seams but other than that it is lovely and i love it, i took it on my honeymoon (oh yes i did get married in the time the camera was out of commission!) here she is...

i finally got a picture of my stargazer top (i would link but magknits is down so...) i made it out of lustersheen flamingo color, i really love the color it is like a watermelon-y pink not too barbie. it looks pretty cute on, only problem i had is the neckline curls even after blocking. i also avoided all of those pesky seams, i knitted it with not a single seam and insteam of using ribbon as the contrast band i used the half ball i had of some actual ribbon yarn and i crocheted it in seed stitch instead of knitting it to save myself a little bit of time.

then there is this little purple lillian tank i made from this pattern. it is made from some lavender colors cotton plus i had gotten on clearance long ago. it is a little bit shiny and the first time i wore it (as a vest over a white button down) i got some lovely comments from a nice old lady in a restaurant who was amazed that i, a young person, had made it myself!

lastly i made the all-season tank from the lion brand microspun, it is actualy french vanilla color not sure why it looks so grey in the picture but it is indeed more of a cream color, i really like it but for some reason the neck hole is kind of hard to get your head through, not sure if that was my fault or the pattern so anyone making it beware, try it on before you get to the end. it is totally wearable and i do like how the smallish neckhole makes a nie high sitting neckline. i am overall very happy with it. it was made from this pattern

The Pineapple Monokini

so here it is, here is the picture

i have written up an UNTESTED pattern (only made the one for myself). it is one size fits most, there is a tie back at the rib cage and the halter top so that its adjustable and there is a portion of the bottom that is easily adjustable to be slightly larger or smaller if need be, and i will mention at that point where to adjust this for the individual. this is made all in one piece with no seams to sew! yay!

SPECIAL NOTE: if you want to actually go in the water i would suggest finding some very thin nylon thread/elastic cord and making it with that as the cotton absorbs a LOT of water. i have not tried this technique but feel free to test it out and let me know how it works out for you!

I retain all copyrights to this pattern: it is not to be sold for any reason, you may sell your own finished product as long as you give credit for the design to me, free for personal use only, not for commercial use.

the pineapple monokini (totally not for water, just for looking hot!)

materials:
3 balls of cotton comfort color 16 (cascade fixation and elann esprit are also substitutable but may require more balls and gauge adjustment)
C crochet hook
1 removable stitch marker
small scraps of cotton material to line cups and crotch (optional)
stitches:
sc: single crochet
dc: double crochet
ch: chain
sc2dec: single crochet decrease over next 2 stitches (insert hook into st, yo pull through insert hook into next st, yo pull through, yo pull through all loops on hook)
ss: slip stitch
bikini:
ch 41
row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each across. ch 1 turn (40sts)

row 2: sc2dec in first 2 sts, sc across to last 2 sts sc2dec ch 1 turn (38sts)

row 3-11: rep row 2 (20sts)

row 12: sc in each st across ch1 turn (20sts)

row 13: rep row 2 (18sts)

row 14-22: rep last 2 rows(10sts)

row 23-35: sc in each across ch 1 turn (10sts)

row 36: 2 sc in next st, sc across to last st, 2 sc in last. ch1 turn (12sts)

row 37: rep row 36 (14sts)

row 38: sc in each across ch 1 turn(14sts)

row 39-80: rep last 3 rows (70sts)
this is where you can adjust the size of the "bottom" by chaining more or less
ch 25, sc across the beginning chain of original 40sts place marker between st 20 and 21, ch25 ss in end st of back of brief, ch3 turn (ch3 counts as dc on back of brief)

row 81: dc in first st of ch25 *ch2 skip next 2 ch, dc in next* rep from *-* to end of ch25, dc in next 40 sts, dc in first st of ch25 rep*-* to end of ch25, dc in next 69 sts ss in top of ch3. ch3 turn

row 82: dc across next 69 sts ch1 skip next dc, dc in ch2 space, *ch2 dc in next ch2 space* rep *-* to last ch2 space, ch1 skip next dc, dc in each next 40 sts, ch1 skip next dc, dc in ch2 space rep *-* to last ch2 space, ss in top of ch3. ch3 turn

row 83: dc in ch1 space, *ch2 dc in next ch2 space* rep *-* to last ch2 space, ch2 dc in ch1 space, dc in next 40 sts, dc in ch1 space, rep *-* to last ch2 space, ch2 dc in ch1 space, dc in next 69 sts, ss in top of ch3, ch3 turn.

row 84-85: rep last 2 rows, ch5 turn for row 85

row 86: dc in same space, *skip next 2 sts dc ch1 dc in next st* rep *-* around entire brief, ss in ch3 of ch5.

(move "middle marker" to ch1 space nearest to its location)
this part will be a little tricky for the adjustment purposes, so to make sure it will still be centered correctly you need to count to 15 "V" sts from center marker, ss in each st to ch1 space of 15th Vst and continue.

row 87: ch5 (counts as dc ch2) *skip 2 dc, dc in next ch1 space, ch2* rep *-* 2 more times ch2 skip to next ch1 space, 2dc ch1 2dc ch3 sc in next ch1 space, +ch4, sc in next ch1 space + rep +-+ 8 times, ch3 2 dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space, ch3 sc in next ch1 space, rep +-+ 9 times ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space* ch2 dc in next ch1 space* rep *-* 3 more times. ch4 turn

row 88: dc in first dc, *ch2 dc in next dc* rep *-* one time, ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, ch3 sc in first ch4 space +ch4 sc in next ch4 space+ rep +-+ to last ch4 space ch3, 2dc ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space ch3 +-+ to last ch4 space, ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell rep *-* 3 times dc in last dc ch4 turn

row 89: dc in second dc ch2 dc in next dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *ch4 sc in next ch4 space* rep *-* to last ch4 space, ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, ch3 sc in first ch4 space *-* to last ch4 space, ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space +ch2 dc in next dc+ +-+ to last dc ch4 turn

row 90: dc in second dc ch2 dc in next dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first *ch4 space ch4 sc in next ch4 space* rep *-* to last ch4 space ch3, 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch1, 2dc ch1 2dc in ch2 space of Vshell ch1, 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in last dc. ch5 turn

row 91: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *ch4 sc in next ch4 space* rep *-* to last ch4 space 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch1, 7dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in last dc ch5 turn

row 92: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *ch4 sc in next ch4 space* rep *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch1 2dc in each of next 3 dc, dc in next dc, 2dc in each of next 3 dc, ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch from turning ch. ch5 turn

row 93: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *ch4 sc in next ch4 space* rep *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 sc in first dc +ch3 skip next dc sc in next dc+ rep +-+ 5 more times ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space rep *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 94: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space *ch4 sc in next ch4 space * rep *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 sc in first ch3 space +ch3 sc in next ch3 space+ rep +-+ to last ch3 space ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch 3 sc in first ch4 space rep *-* to last ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 95: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space ch4 sc in next ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 sc in first ch3 space *ch3 sc in next ch3 space8 rep *-* 3 times ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in first ch4 space ch4 sc in next ch4 space 2dc ch1 2dc n ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5

row 96: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 sc in first ch3 space *ch3 sc in next ch3 space* rep *-* 2 times ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch3 sc in ch4 space ch3 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 97: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch2 sc in first ch3 space *ch3 sc in next ch3 space* rep *-* 1 time ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 98: dc in second dc ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch2 sc in first ch3 space ch3 sc in next ch3 space ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 99: dc in second dc ch2, 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, ch2 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, ch2 sc in ch3 space ch2, 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell ch2, 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 100: dc in second dc ch2, 2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, dc ch1 dc in ch2 space, 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, ch1 dc ch1 dc in ch2 space, ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell ch2 dc in next ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 101: dc in second dc, ch2 work 2dc ch1 2dc ch1 in center ch1 of each V-shell across, ch2 dc in next ch1 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 102: dc in second dc, ch2 *2dc ch1 2dch in ch1 space of Vshell, ch1* 2dc ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Vshell, rep *-* two times, 2dc ch1 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space, rep *-* one time ch2 dc in next ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 103: dc in second dc, ch2 *2dc ch1 2dc in ch1 space of Vshell, ch1* +2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space of Wshell 2dc ch1 2dc in next ch1 space,+ rep *-* 2 times rep +-+ one time, rep *-* one time ch2 dc in next dc ch2 dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. ch5 turn

row 104: repeat row 100

cups: repeat directions for both sides

set-up row: attach yarn (if not attached) and sc in first 20 sts of top of lace, ch1 turn

rows 1-17: sc in each st across, ch1 turn

rows 18: c in each st across and work 18 sc down inner side. ss into lace top ch1 turn

row 19-40 sc in each sc across ch1 turn (every even row, ss into lap before ch1)

fasten off

repeat for other side

finishing:

attach yarn at mid-back anywhere. work sc evenly all alone outer edge of bottom/body at start of cups ch50 sc in second ch from hook and each ch back continue working sc up side of cup at top point ch50 sc in second ch from hook and each ch down work sc evenly down inner side of cup and up next cup to top point ch50 sc in second ch from hook and each down work sc evenly down outter side of cup ch50 sc in second ch from hook and each across, work sc evenly down side of lace and to starting sc. ss in first sc

fasten off. line if needed

enjoy!

if you found any typos/problems please email me at snugs_tracieAThotmailDOTcom so i may be able to help/correct. thanks!

long time

wow. the holidays were really busy this year. we have our wedding up coming in 3 months from today so we have had some of that stuff to deal with too. atleast it has been productive, i made a tank for myself (summer here i come ready or not!) hat i think turned out great. it was modeled after a ribbed turtleneck in fitted knits book but as i dont have to book and didnt find it at my local bookstore i just looked at the photos and winged it, so here it is. i used cotton-ease in taupe (light grey-ish color)

i have been working on another top for myself as of late, in black wool-ease. it has been very slow going, it is a top down raglan ribbed sweater. so far i am not even to the sleeve seperation and i am bored to tears. here it is so far, nothing to impressive and you cant see very good deffinition in it but oh well, better pictures when i get done with it.

NOW... for the big news, a great friend of mine that i haven't seen in about 3 years now. ever since i moved far away, left me a message that she was pregnant! with twins! Girls! 27 weeks! wow talk about needing to take a seat for that one! as that goes i started in right away making all sorts of goodies for her. i got 2 sweaters finished so far, i want to make one more set in a different pattern. here is the littler sweater in lavender (already finished one in pink as well but no pic yet). i also have big plans to make her a cute felted diaper bag but i have yet to start that, but i did buy the yarn. it is called sean sheep armytage, it is a single ply bulky wool and it is surprisingly soft. i hope it comes out great is all i can say.

lastly we went on a little mini-vacation/long weekend to quebec city, it was my first time there so i, of course, looked up a listing for local yarn shops. i stopped by one and will be making a grey-gina now from glampyre i think it will look fab in this lovely medium grey. i love grey it rocks

and to leave you with my end note (no pun intended!) here are some cheeks to squeeze. this is what i go with old ripped-knee jeans... make pillows to hide my yarn! slap a zipper on the top waistband and a seam o nthe bottom and bam you have a cool pillow/yarn-stash-hider

thanksgiving vacation is over!

we are back safe at home now after much ado. airline lost all 4 of our bags, ripped 3 when they delivered them and got the last one today. flight was worse than aweful, didnt land until 2 am! On a happier subject we had a great thanksgiving and did pretty well in the black friday dept. got all the gifts for the neices for christmas, and one for a friend. i am thinking we will host a little friends get together for christmas this year, need to talk to some people and see what plans might work for the most amount of people. my family did all our little gift exchanges while we were visiting, got and gave some great stuff.

picked up all these goodies for about 45$ at the after thanksgiving sale, i was pretty happy about that. it is 7 skeins black wool-ease, 6 skeins denim cool crochet, and 3 skeins taupe cotton-ease.

mom threw me a bridal shower while i was there, small and nice. it turned out very lovely and i had a couple friends there so it was all good. i think i will be the one planning a bridal shower here since my maid of honor was there at the first one in california. mom also helped me rehab my poor coat, i walked into a freshly painted green pole right after buying this gem. she makes felted things so she gave me some cut-out felted flowers to sew on. i think it turned out ok, i also put 1 one the leftover flowers onto the lapel of the coat to kind of tie it in and make it look less out of place

thanksgiving is coming!

i will be heading home for thanksgiving and i have actually finished all planned projects. can't believe i actually did this with time to spare. i am currently working on a no-brainer project of leg warmers for some 3 yr old twins. i bought some yarn to make this sweater i saw on svetlana's blog, a copy of a VS sweater and i love it. it is a lovely "rice" colored yarn that is a bamboo/silk/cotton blend and it is fingering weight and it is totally yummy.

FINALLY yay!

so we officially bought our tickets to fly into la to go visit my family for thansgiving. love turkey, it should be great. this is also when we all exchange presents since i am able to be there and hence the crunch on time to get all my "holiday" knitting done. i finished the sweater for my sister and i think it came out better than expected. i really like the little split neck to be pinned into place as a turtleneck. so here it is.

secondly, i have also gotten started on the throw blanket for my mother and all i can hope is that i can knit fast enough to finish it. i have about 4 inches so far (just started of course) and i picked a cable and lace pattern and it is a very easy repeat, already have memorized. at this rate i think i will need to knock out about a ball a day on days i work and 2 balls on days i am off. here is crossing my fingers i can get it done in time!

bridesmaid garters

i finished all of these YAY! i am so glad to have one more item done and i can stash away. i previously posted the pictures of the bridal ones here are the ones i made for my bridesmaids, i think they look hot with the black and hot pinkfor my 2 bridesmaids and one junior bridesmaids.